Howard Pyle was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and except for a few brief years in New York City, he remained in Wilmington where he established his career as an illustrator for magazines and books, a muralist, and a teacher. He received his first education as an artist from the Belgian painter Francis Van der Wielen who operated a private school founded to fill the void left by the temporary closure of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Pyle also studied at the Art Students League under Lemuel Wilmarth while living in New York and gathering a publishing clientele. In his prolific career, Pyle produced over 3,000 illustrations, wrote 19 books and 200 stories, and taught at Drexel Institute and at his own school where he inspired the students who would extend his influence into the 20th century.